My husband suggested that I post my question directly to this forum rather than the general forum so here goes.
We are travelling to Seattle and will be spending about a week at Olympic National Park in early July. I want to minimize the amount of gear I'm taking (he is taking his full complement so I would have access to his lenses if need be) but I would haul my 300/2.8 if I thought there were plenty of opportunities to use it. (My husband's interests are landscapes and flowers to a much lesser degree.) I've just started researching what's there and I am seeing lots of unique animals. What is the likelihood that I'll actually come across these creatures and be able to photograph them? Or are most of the wildlife at the park reclusive?
We will not be doing any major hiking so will be limited to the trails off the main roads.
As long as I am asking, any tips on clothing for that time of year?
As far as wildlife goes in Oly NP, I've seen raccoon on the beach and plenty of elk in the Hoh Rainforest. Rialto Beach tends to collect bald eagles on the snags of the dead forest. Also the tidepools can be interesting, so a macro is a must. For July, landscape and flowers are probably your best option. Bring a wind shell and rainjacket, layers are the best policy for the peninsula. Have fun!
I'll second the elk in the hoh rain forest, how big their antlers will be then, i dont know. This was taken about a month ago, one big one on the trail with nubs for horns and a bunch of cows laying around. Also .....brain fart.....the first ocean beach you come to going south after leaving the hoh rain forest is good for sunsets, and then the tide pools in the next big parking area south at low tide are good. <> Hit Neah Bay for Eagles, a little over an hour from forks wa., usually all over the trees in town and at Big salmon resort feeding and fighting for the fish guts from the anglers. Call Washburns store and ask for the sports department and ask for Rick Ross and he may tell you if the eagles are in. He can also take you fishing if you like, sport fishing, and also river fishing for Kings or steelhead in the fall and winter. Licensed guide.<> If you can access the Jefferson creek area, off the hamma hamma river, the road is out right now, they may fix it, there is a alpine lake that is steep, but a short hike, a few miles, and very pretty. Need directions for that, i can show you if interested. Not much of a trail, but it is marked where need be.<>La Push for eagles also. Tree at the end of town that they seem to like to be in alot.<> Mount Elinore for goats and a short hike to the top, three miles and views views views. Just south of the Hamma hamma, at Hoodsport and up the hill to lake cushman to the t, then go right and follow signs to the trail head.<> I'd tell you to hit lena creek just up the hamma hamma river for the canyon shot, but more trees fell into it and its not worth it, but just a few hundred feet off the road.<> Rocky Brook falls off the dosewallips river road, another short hike off the main road, a few hundred feet, by the small power plant on the right about three miles up the river road are some nice falls, tall with a pool at the bottom.<>Murhut falls off the duckabush river road are nice, steep around the falls, but not to get to them, only about a mile hike up the trial. You would have to be creative there, not to many angles to choose from.<> You can run into herds of elk off the Hamma Hamma river road and the dosewallips river road, its iffy though. 50 percent of the time? So if you do go to those areas, look for them, especially on the dosewallips river road, they even go all the way down to the camp ground where the river dumps into hood canal off of highway 101.<>Hood Canal bridge should be repaired by then, its out right now and you have to go all the way around the canal through Belfair wa. to get to the west side of hood canal<>And of course there is the game farm in Sequim that has lots of animals and you drive through the whole thing in your car, cant get out though. At times there are a lot of eagles there also. Big elk, bears, peacocks, buffalo, bread to feed them.:)
I have spotted black bears around hurricane ridge 5 in one day and 3 of them were just north of the parking lot up a trail that went by a ski lift I will say its been a few years but I too will be there around that same time 4th of july for a week
Oh and of course theres plenty of deer and Olympic marmots up there so I would bring your lens its better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it
There are lots of elk in the Hoh Rainforest area, but because of the dense forest it can be difficult to actually find them, although they're reported frequently in the campground there.
Plenty of deer and Olympic marmots at Hurricane Ridge. They're so habituated to people that a really long tele isn't really required. I've seen bear, from quite a distance, on the trail to Hurricane Hill.
Posted by Sean Watson on June 11, 2009 at 12:49 PM
I like Lake Quinault for elk more than Hoh. I normally take a slow drive up North Shore Road and then back down South Shore (or the other way). I've seen river otters and foxes near the creek by the ranger station on North Shore Road. I wouldn't hold my breath to see these guys though. You're liable to see grouse there too. There are lots of eagles there in the winter, but not so much in July.
There are lots of marmots out near the end of Obstruction Point road. (Head up to Hurricane ridge and make a left on a dirt road just at the entrance to the parking lot.) They're really consistent out there; about as close to a sure thing as you'll get in wildlife photography. (Sorry if I'm jinxing it.) The down side is that someone seems to be doing a study so you might have problems finding one without an ear ring :-(. Lots of cute behavior if you wait and watch.
Deer Park is a good spot in early July. It's named right; lots of friendly blacktail deer. Fawns should have their spots just fading and are pretty friendly as fawns go. There should be grouse hens with chicks especially up the Blue Mountain road. Lots of scenic opportunities too (plenty of lupine and paintbrush and good views south into the park or north at the Strait, San Juans, Mt Baker, etc).
You can generally find eagles at the beach. I saw some oystercatchers last time I was at Second Beach. You can sometimes catch harbor seals or sea lions in the surf. I haven't seem them on the beach. If you hit tidepools at low tide, you'll see orange and purple starfish. I'm still trying to figure out where the blood stars hang out.
Discussion
6 repliesWe are travelling to Seattle and will be spending about a week at Olympic National Park in early July. I want to minimize the amount of gear I'm taking (he is taking his full complement so I would have access to his lenses if need be) but I would haul my 300/2.8 if I thought there were plenty of opportunities to use it. (My husband's interests are landscapes and flowers to a much lesser degree.) I've just started researching what's there and I am seeing lots of unique animals. What is the likelihood that I'll actually come across these creatures and be able to photograph them? Or are most of the wildlife at the park reclusive?
We will not be doing any major hiking so will be limited to the trails off the main roads.
As long as I am asking, any tips on clothing for that time of year?
Meg
David M. Cobb
Plenty of deer and Olympic marmots at Hurricane Ridge. They're so habituated to people that a really long tele isn't really required. I've seen bear, from quite a distance, on the trail to Hurricane Hill.
There are lots of marmots out near the end of Obstruction Point road. (Head up to Hurricane ridge and make a left on a dirt road just at the entrance to the parking lot.) They're really consistent out there; about as close to a sure thing as you'll get in wildlife photography. (Sorry if I'm jinxing it.) The down side is that someone seems to be doing a study so you might have problems finding one without an ear ring :-(. Lots of cute behavior if you wait and watch.
Deer Park is a good spot in early July. It's named right; lots of friendly blacktail deer. Fawns should have their spots just fading and are pretty friendly as fawns go. There should be grouse hens with chicks especially up the Blue Mountain road. Lots of scenic opportunities too (plenty of lupine and paintbrush and good views south into the park or north at the Strait, San Juans, Mt Baker, etc).
You can generally find eagles at the beach. I saw some oystercatchers last time I was at Second Beach. You can sometimes catch harbor seals or sea lions in the surf. I haven't seem them on the beach. If you hit tidepools at low tide, you'll see orange and purple starfish. I'm still trying to figure out where the blood stars hang out.
Sean